Combination weighing machine

Abstract

This combination weighing machine prevent powdery matter such as sugar or seasoning powder released from objects to be weighed from adversely affecting weighing, and is configured such that objects to be weighed that have been dispersed and conveyed outward by dispersion feeders are placed on the troughs of straight feeders, vibrated and conveyed outward, and sent, via supply hoppers disposed adjacent to the terminal ends of the straight feeders, into weighing hoppers disposed below each supply hopper.　A large number of discharge holes 15 are formed in a conveyance terminal end portion of a trough 6 to allow separated material to pass through after being separated from the objects to be weighed, and a discharge chute 16 is integrally provided below the conveyance terminal end portion of the trough 6, guides the separated material flowing out from the discharge holes 15 laterally outward, and leads it to a recovery part 17.

Description

Combination weigher

[0001] The present invention relates to a combination weigher that weighs and discharges predetermined weights of objects to be weighed, such as confectioneries and various foods.

[0002] A commonly used combination weigher is configured in such a way that the objects to be weighed are dropped from above the center and dispersed and transported radially from a dispersion feeder, the dispersed objects are transported further outward and sent to a plurality of straight feeders arranged around the dispersion feeder, the objects to be weighed transported by each straight feeder are supplied in small amounts to a weighing hopper via a supply hopper, a combination of a plurality of weighing hoppers that will result in a predetermined weight is calculated from the objects to be weighed whose weights are measured in the weighing hoppers, a plurality of weighing hoppers to be discharged are selected, and based on a discharge request from a subsequent processing device such as a packaging machine, the opening of the selected plurality of weighing hoppers is controlled so that the objects to be weighed of the predetermined weight are discharged to the subsequent processing device.

[0003] When such a combination weigher is used to weigh an object coated with powder such as sugar, salt, spices, or seasonings, the separated matter, such as the seasoning powder or fine powder fragments that have separated from the object, may adhere to and grow on the conveying surface of the trough in the linear feeder that vibrates and conveys the object, or on the inner surface of the supply hopper or weighing hopper.

[0004] If the separated matter adheres to the conveying surface of the trough and grows, it may hinder the smooth conveyance and discharge of the objects to be weighed.

[0005] Furthermore, the separated material adhering to the inner surfaces of the supply hopper and weighing hopper may absorb moisture from the air and form clumps that may suddenly fall off, which is one factor that reduces weighing accuracy.

[0006] Furthermore, if the separated lumps are mixed into the weighed and discharged objects, the commercial value of the objects will be reduced.

[0007] Therefore, as shown in Patent Document 1, for example, a separated material removal means has been proposed in which a storage container having a filter section made of a perforated plate is arranged in a drop supply path that drops and supplies the materials to be weighed from the conveying end of a straight feeder to a supply hopper, and the separated materials are filtered by the filter section and stored in the storage container, and the stored separated materials are recovered by air transport.

[0008] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-102012

[0009] The separated material removal means can remove separated material to a certain extent, but since the objects to be weighed that fall from the end of the conveying path of the straight feeder are received by the filter section and subjected to filtering action for only a very short time as they flow downward, there is a high risk that a large amount of separated material will pass over the filter section without being filtered.

[0010] The present invention has been made in light of the above points, and its object is to provide a combination weigher that can accurately remove any separated material from the objects to be weighed before the objects are sent to the supply hopper.

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

[0012] The combination weigher of the present invention comprises a dispersion feeder that radially disperses and transports the objects to be weighed placed thereon, and a plurality of straight feeders that are arranged radially around the dispersion feeder and transport the objects to be weighed that are dispersed and transported from the dispersion feeder in a straight line radially outward, wherein each of the plurality of straight feeders has a trough on which the objects to be weighed that are dispersed and transported from the dispersion feeder are placed, and the trough has a transport section that transports the objects to be weighed, and the transport section has a plurality of discharge holes through which separated objects from the objects to be weighed can pass.

[0013] According to this configuration, the separated material separated from the objects to be weighed is vibrated and conveyed on the trough of the linear feeder together with the objects to be weighed, and when it reaches the conveying section, the separated material passes through the discharge hole and is sent out.

[0014] In this way, the combination weigher according to the present invention can accurately remove separated material from the objects to be weighed.

[0015] Fig. 1 is an overall perspective view of a combination weigher according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a main portion of the combination weigher of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a main portion of the combination weigher of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a trough of the combination weigher of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a trough terminal end portion of the combination weigher of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional front view of a trough terminal end portion of the combination weigher of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a trough terminal end portion of a combination weigher according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows an overall perspective view of a combination weigher according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 show a perspective view and a plan view of a main portion of the combination weigher, respectively.

[0017] This combination weigher weighs and discharges predetermined weights of items such as confectionery and various foods. It is installed on the floor of the upper floor of a platform (not shown) assembled like a tower that workers can climb up and down, and is used in a packaging processing line where the weighed items of the predetermined weight are dropped and supplied to the next device, such as a packaging device (not shown) installed on the floor below.

[0018] A hollow base 1 with a large opening in the center from top to bottom is installed on the floor of a frame (not shown), and a hollow center base 2 is supported above the center of the base 1 via multiple legs 3.

[0019] Above the center of the center base 2, a dispersion feeder 5 is installed, which places the objects to be weighed, which are dropped and supplied from a supply conveyor (not shown), on a top cone 4 and distributes and transports them radially.In addition, a number of straight feeders 7 are arranged in a circle surrounding the dispersion feeder 5, which place the objects distributed and transported by the dispersion feeder 5 on troughs 6 and transport them radially and straight outward.

[0020] Although the detailed structure is not shown, the top cone 4 of the dispersion feeder 5 is detachably connected to the vibration head of the vibration mechanism installed inside the center base 2, and the trough 6 of the linear feeder 7 is detachably connected to the vibration head of the vibration mechanism installed inside the center base 2, each being independently vibration-driven and controlled. The vibration mechanism of the dispersion feeder 5 is connected to a weight detection unit installed inside the center base 2, and based on the detection information from the weight detection unit, it controls the operation of a supply conveyor (not shown) to maintain the weight of the objects to be weighed placed on the top cone 5 within a set range.

[0021] The outer peripheral wall of the center base 2 is equipped with supply hoppers 8 that temporarily store and discharge the objects to be weighed conveyed by each linear feeder 7, and weighing hoppers 9 that receive and measure the weight of the objects to be weighed w discharged from each supply hopper 8. A multi-series weighing unit consisting of these supply hoppers 8 and weighing hoppers 9 performs combined weighing and discharge control of the objects to be weighed w.

[0022] Below each weighing hopper 9 is provided a collecting chute 10 that guides the articles discharged from the multiple weighing hoppers 9, which have been combined and selected to achieve a predetermined weight, downward toward the center of the device, and below and centrally below the collecting chute 10 are provided a collecting funnel 11 that collects the articles that have flowed down along the collecting chute 10 to the center, and a collecting hopper 12 that temporarily stores the collected articles of a predetermined weight. The collecting hopper 12 controls discharge based on a discharge request from a subsequent processing device such as a packaging device.

[0023] In the present invention, the following configuration is added to prevent separated particles, such as sugar or seasoning powder sprinkled on the object to be weighed, or fine fragments of the object to be weighed, from becoming loose and adversely affecting transportation and weighing.

[0024] That is, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, the trough 6 that constitutes the linear feeder 7 is made by assembling stainless steel plates into a gutter shape with a V-shaped cross section, and the bottom surface 6a of the first half of the conveying section is tapered, while the bottom surface 6b of the second half of the conveying section is formed to have a narrow width approximately equal to the size of one object w to be weighed.

[0025] Although not shown, the stainless steel plate that constitutes the trough 6 has many small protrusions protruding from the entire conveying surface to reduce conveying resistance due to contact with the objects to be weighed w.

[0026] A downward-sloping step d is formed on the bottom surface of the boundary between the first and second conveyance sections of the trough 6. When the conveyed objects w to be weighed fall onto this step d, it breaks up clumps of objects w that have stuck together and actively separates powder or granular material that is about to become loose from the surface of the objects to be weighed.

[0027] A number of discharge holes 15 are formed in multiple rows (four rows in this example) in the conveying direction at the bottom surface 6b of the conveying end of the trough 6 and at the bottom of the left and right side surfaces 6c connected to it, for filtering and discharging separated material that has become separated from the weighed object w.

[0028] The discharge holes 15 are formed as elongated holes in the conveying direction with a width sufficient to allow powdery separated matter such as powdery material loosened from the object to be weighed and small pieces of the object to be weighed w to pass through, and the rows of discharge holes 15 adjacent to each other in the conveying direction are arranged so as to face each other at an angle.

[0029] A discharge chute 16 is attached in a cantilevered manner to the outside below the end of the conveying section of the trough 6, covering from below the filtering area formed by the group of discharge holes 15. The discharge chute 16 is disposed in a slightly downward tilted position so as to receive the separated material that has been filtered and dropped through the discharge holes 15 and guide it outward laterally. A recovery container 17 is disposed at the tip of the discharge chute 16 as a recovery section.

[0030] The discharge chutes 16 of adjacent troughs 6 are configured so that their horizontal extension directions are opposite to each other, and a common collection container is provided between adjacent supply hoppers 8 and is detachably attached to the outer peripheral surface of the center base 2.

[0031] The present invention is configured as described above. When the objects w to be weighed are sent to the weighing hopper 9 by the vibration conveyance of the linear feeder 7, powdery separated material that has become loose from the objects w is filtered and discharged through the discharge holes 15 of the trough 6, and is then vibrated and conveyed laterally outward by the discharge chute that vibrates integrally with the trough, and is collected and stored in the collection container 17 that is shared by the adjacent troughs.

[0032] The collection container 17 is removed periodically or depending on the amount of separated matter accumulated, and the accumulated separated matter is discharged and collected.

[0033] Other Embodiments The present invention can also be implemented in the following forms.

[0034] (1) The discharge through-hole 15 may be formed as a round hole or a square hole.

[0035] (2) The filtering area formed by the group of discharge through-holes 15 can also be made of wire mesh or punched metal.

[0036] (3) It is also possible to configure the discharge chutes 16 of all the troughs 6 to have the same specifications, extending to either the left or right direction, and to provide a collection section for each trough 6 .

[0037] This eliminates the need to manufacture two types of troughs 6 with different orientations of the discharge chute 16, making production management easier.

[0038] (4) As shown in FIG. 7, a filter discharge section 18, which integrates a bottom section having a group of discharge holes 15 and a discharge chute 16, can be formed separately from the trough 6, and this filter discharge section 18 can be detachably attached to an opening 19 formed by cutting out the end of the trough 6 via a bolt 20, a wing nut 21, and a hook-shaped connecting groove 22 formed in the filter discharge section 18.

[0039] According to this, if the discharge hole 15 becomes clogged, the filtering and discharge part 18 can be removed and cleaned, or replaced with a different filtering and discharge part 18 that has been prepared in advance and then installed. Therefore, the downtime can be shortened compared to when the entire trough 6 is removed from the center base body 2 and the clogged discharge hole 15 is cleaned and removed.

[0040] In addition, multiple types of filtering and discharge sections 18 with different sizes and arrangements of discharge holes 15 can be prepared in advance, and the appropriate filtering and discharge section 18 can be replaced and used depending on the type of object w to be weighed, etc.

[0041] 5 Dispersion feeder 6 Trough 7 Linear feeder 8 Supply hopper 9 Weighing hopper 15 Discharge through hole 16 Discharge chute 17 Recovery section (recovery container) w Object to be weighed

Claims

1. A combination weigher comprising: a dispersion feeder that radially disperses and conveys objects to be weighed placed thereon; and a plurality of straight feeders that are arranged radially around the dispersion feeder and that radially and linearly convey the objects to be weighed that are dispersed and conveyed from the dispersion feeder, wherein each of the plurality of straight feeders has a trough on which the objects to be weighed that are dispersed and conveyed from the dispersion feeder are placed, and the trough has a conveying section that conveys the objects to be weighed, and the conveying section has a plurality of discharge holes through which separated objects from the objects to be weighed can pass.

2. The combination weigher according to claim 1, wherein the transport portion of the trough is a transport terminal portion of the object to be weighed.

3. The combination weigher according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge chute below the conveying section of the linear feeder, the discharge chute guiding separated material spilling out of the discharge holes laterally outward.

4. The combination weigher according to claim 3, wherein the discharge chute guides the separated material spilling out of the discharge hole laterally outward and leads it to a recovery section.

5. The combination weigher according to claim 1, wherein the discharge hole is a slot.

6. The combination weigher according to claim 5, wherein the elongated hole is elongated in the direction in which the objects to be weighed are conveyed.

7. The combination weigher according to claim 1, wherein the discharge hole is a circular hole.

8. The combination weigher according to claim 1, wherein the trough is configured in a gutter shape, and the long holes are formed in parallel in the width direction of the conveyance from the bottom surface of the trough to both side surfaces.

9. The combination weigher according to claim 1, wherein the discharge holes are formed in parallel in the width direction of the conveyance and in a plurality of rows adjacent to each other in the conveyance direction.

10. The combination weigher according to claim 8, wherein the groups of discharge holes are arranged so as to face each other in a staggered manner in the conveying direction.

11. The combination weigher according to claim 8, wherein the groups of discharge through-holes are arranged so as to face each other in parallel in the conveying direction.

12. The combination weigher according to claim 1, wherein a step with a downward tip is provided at the bottom of the intermediate portion of the trough in the conveying direction.

13. The combination weigher according to claim 4, wherein the discharge chutes are arranged so that their lateral discharge directions are opposite to each other, and the separated material filtered and discharged from both adjacent troughs is sent to the common recovery section disposed between the adjacent linear feeders.

14. A combination weigher comprising: a dispersion feeder that radially disperses and conveys objects to be weighed placed thereon; a plurality of straight feeders that are arranged radially around the dispersion feeder and that convey the objects to be weighed dispersedly and conveyed from the dispersion feeder in a straight line radially outward; a plurality of supply hoppers that are arranged adjacent to each of the straight feeders and that temporarily place and discharge the objects to be weighed discharged from the straight feeders; and a plurality of weighing hoppers that are arranged below each of the supply hoppers and that measure the weight of the objects to be weighed discharged from each of the supply hoppers, wherein each of the straight feeders has a trough that places the objects to be weighed that are dispersed and conveyed from the dispersion feeder, and the trough has a conveying terminal end that conveys the objects to be weighed, and the conveying terminal end has a plurality of discharge holes that allow objects separated from the objects to pass through.

15. The combination weigher according to claim 14, further comprising a collection chute below each of the conveying terminal ends of each of the plurality of linear feeders for guiding the separated material spilling out of the discharge holes laterally outward.

16. The combination weigher according to claim 14, wherein the discharge opening is an elongated hole that is long in the conveying direction.

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